Manic Depression

My soon-to-be sister in law has it. I'm afraid I don't know much about it at the moment. Google is your friend!

Here's a link with an example of one persons life from 13 to when they are going to College

http://www.newyorkcityvoices.org/2002junaug/20020804.html

i was recently diagnosed with it aswell. i think one of the most important things is to try and keep as much stability in your life as possible. i moved away to university this september and have just left as the stress was just too much, my treatment hadnt really started working so i wasnt ready to be uprooted like that and have such a major life change. im not saying you cant ever move away from home (!), just that you have to make sure you are on the right track with regards to medication and therapy or whatever u need, before you make any big life-changing moves. its great that you have your family and friends and girlfriend to support you, that really is so important. they might not always understand whats going on with you, but thats ok, as long as they accept that, and im sure they will! watch out for the triggers - for me, sometimes it just seems like nothing triggers it atall, it just suddenly happens, but other times it seems to get aggravated by doing things that im not in the mood to do e.g. going out to the pub when im feeling socially anxious and very self-conscious; i end up working myself into a state, which can just push me over the edge into a very black mood.
pm me if you want a chat obviously everyone's experiences of this are different but i might understand *some* of what u r going through!
x

edit:



i so kno what u mean! i was obviously in one of my 'highs' when i decided to go to a uni the other end of the country from my home!! thats the trouble with that old hypomanic denial... lol

I have bad depression and I'm more than 200 miles away from home. Mine hasn't been diagnosed but I know what it is, I've had it for years and just suffered in silence. I get suicidal thoughts and just cry all the time, I'm very anxious of social situations and I really struggle with the workload because I'm just in no frame of mind to do it. I was only just starting to feel in a better frame of mind at home then I was uprooted to go to uni and everything has gone to hell since then.

Sorry I know this is someone else's thread and I don't want to direct attention away from the OP, but how do you actually pluck up the courage to tell people you're struggling and need help? I live a lie where I tell people I'm fine but in reality I feel dead inside. I want to leave university because it's just too much for me at the moment and I want to get better, but how do you tell people that?

If your GP has prescribed you with medication, it will help.

Have a positive outlook and try to not let the diagnosis affect you - easier said than done, but the right mindset is a big thing in all forms of mental illness. If you're determined to not let it affect you, and to lead as "normal" a life as possible, even if that means you've got to take pills for the rest of your life, then you stand as good a chance as the next person of having that normal life.

And if you think "but I don't want to take pills", think of it as being an illness like diabetes or high blood pressure. If you don't take the medication for either of those, you stand a very real risk of dying, and to a certain extent depression is the same, whether that's a physical death or just the death of a social life. I think my mother has finally worked that out, after 15 or so years of taking anti-depressants and several attempts to come off them, without any success.

Good luck & God bless.

I had to drop out of university because of stress and depression *****ing me up.